Austin band Shearwater welcomed their eighth LP, Animal Joy, on February 14 via Sub Pop Records. To me, Animal Joy is the full realization of what the band were aiming for on 2010's The Golden Archipelago, keeping the Peter Gabriel-like core intact, but firming it up into an interesting rock record. As we've mentioned a few times, the album is still streaming via NPR and can be purchased via Sub Pop's webstore.

Two days after the record hit stores, Shearwater toured through Chicago with Sharon Van Etten, playing two sold out nights at Lincoln Hall. Some pictures from night one (February 16) are in this post. Head HERE for a full review and all photos from the show.